Small Heath School Closes After Strike Over Suspended Teacher

18 January 2016, 14:21 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Teachers at a Birmingham school are to go on strike for three days from tomorrow in support of a teacher who's been suspended.

The National Union of Teachers claim Simon O'Hara from Small Heath School was suspended because he'd been campaigning against it becoming an academy.

The NASUWT are also taking part in the walkout on the 19th, 20th and 21st January.

Birmingham City Council's statement on the strike:

"We are continuing to work hard with the IEB ( Interim Executive Board) to affect the changes that are needed and supporting the strong interim leadership."

The NUT have released this statement to Capital:  "Simon has been active and effective in representing the views of NUT members at the school in opposing the school becoming an academy and to unreasonable management initiatives. The Union is seriously concerned because the suspension is disproportionate and unjustifiable. The allegations do not warrant suspension and the employer could easily have investigated them with Simon in school. We believe that, but for his trade union activities, Simon would not have been suspended from school and indeed would be unlikely to be facing disciplinary action at all."